I’d like to officially invite you to my first pandemic performance! To be held virtually, of course. The region’s Fred Astaire studios are joining forces to put together this virtual spotlight, themed Dancing through the Decades.

When: Thursday, September 3, 2020 at 7pm PST
Where: Wherever you connect to the internet
Tickets: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/admission-virtual-spotlight-viewing-party-tickets-116686776289

Teacher and I are flashing back to the 1930s with a short and sweet routine to “If I Only Had a Brain” from the Wizard of Oz. Now, the yellow brick road skip makes more sense!

It’s been six years since I last did a showcase. Last time, I danced to “Livin’ on a Prayer” by Bon Jovi with the then-studio owner because Teacher was going to be out of town at a competition. I was just a ballroom baby back then!

I always enjoyed the creativity that comes with a showcase number. You pick your own song, decide what character you want to portray, come up with your own costume, etc. I was always good at figuring out a costume on a budget, using clothes I already had, finding gems at a thrift store, or piecing together inexpensive items to create the look I envisioned.

For my costume for this virtual showcase, I pulled out some old clothes from high school/college that I had put in a storage container designated as “potential costume pieces.” I knew there was a reason to hold onto them!

It feels a little underwhelming to be preparing for this event. In the next couple weeks, we’ll record our routine (several times I’m sure, until we get a version we’re happy with) so that it can be cut together with other people’s routines that were also recorded on their own and then played over the internet. As one of the performers, I’ll be watching the show on my couch in yoga pants and a tank top on “opening night” as opposed to being backstage with butterflies in my stomach. Just another detail that makes 2020 its own kind of special.

The point is we’re still dancing and we can still share our dancing with others, even if it’s through a computer screen instead of from a stage. We can still have fun with our dancing, even if our smiles are obscured by our masks. We can still take joy and pride in our performances, even if we don’t hear any live applause.

I shared a couple weeks ago that I felt like my dancing needed to have some greater purpose moving forward. The purpose of this performance is mostly plain ‘ol fun. There is more to it, but I think I’ll keep this post super short today and share the more with you later.

Happy and healthy dancing!